Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Misery Loves Company ❯ Love at First Glance ( Prologue )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Most of the characters within the story are from Ranma 1/2, and
are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. The following was written
without permission, and was not intended for profit. An attempt
to profit off of it is strictly prohibited by the law. Rather,
it was written for the free entertainment and enjoyment. Thanks
for reading.

Two years before the coming of the new Millennium Ranma Saotome
disappeared under mysterious, and suspicious circumstances. The
friends and family who knew the young man mourned his loss, and
all of them moved on in due time, though some scars never heal.
Time brought changes, triumphs and defeats; love bloomed in the
strangest of places, but the half-mythical events that became a
trademark of Ranma's presence in Nerima ceased, until one rainy
day, when a simple chance meeting between two young people, who
had never laid eyes upon one another before, started the circle
all over again, with one fated glance.

**********************************************
*A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction: Misery Loves Company*
**********************************************
by Ryan Erik


Prelude: Love at First Glance


Countless people walked past the black-haired young man as he
patiently waited in the airport terminal for his twin sister. Commuter
traffic on the weekends was horrible year-round and the youth simply
had to experience it at its worst time. Being pressed up against the
wall while searching through a sea of travelers was one thing, but he
had to make his way across the terminal to find out which gate his
sister would come from as well.

Wondering how he let his mother convince him to pick his sister up
in the first place, the teenager shook his head in disgust. He had
just arrived home from his summer job at the market and was tired from
lifting those stupid crates full of fresh fruit. Simply unable to deny
her anything, even when he had good reason to do so, he obeyed her and
immediately left to the airport, sulking the whole way. He did not
even have time to change out of his work clothes!

While trudging his way through the crowd, someone slammed into
him, jarring him backwards. While the actual impact normally would not
even have fazed him, any pressure to his still tender ribs was another
story. Holding his sides, he continued cautiously, maintaining his
extremely slow pace through the river of people, as if cutting
upstream in a canoe with half of an oar. Glancing at his watch
distractedly, he noted the time. His sister's flight should have
arrived by now.

What kind of mess have you got yourself into now, Kenichi Tendou?
he sarcastically thought as he searched the arrival board for his
sister's flight. He could be at home right now, training with his
mother's class, or better yet, enjoying a meal at Ucchan's with his
friends. Instead, he was walking towards her gate, disgruntled. He
shrugged off that train of thought as he saw his sister's sprightly
figure bouncing through the crowd.

"Mayako!" he shouted in an attempt to gain her attention. He cut
his way through people a little more aggressively to reach her,
receiving more than a few angry words and obscene gestures.

"Hey, Kenichi!" she cried back, likewise working her way towards
him. When they reached each other, she collided into him like a
freight train, nearly knocking him off his feet, then threw her arms
around him in support.

"It's so good to see you, little brother!" she greeted him, not
missing a chance to tease him on their birth order, while squeezing
the air out of his lungs.

"It's only been a few weeks, sis," he said, but he felt the same.
Although they probably fought only a bit less than any normal brother
and sister, he could relate to her better than anyone he knew. There
were so few people that he could connect with, and his sister, whether
fortunately or unfortunately, was one of them. It might have been the
fact that they were twins, or that their hobbies were virtually
identical, but he did not know for sure.

"Yeah, but I missed you anyway," she replied with a smile. "Is
daddy or mom here?" she asked as they began to walk with the flow of
traffic.

"Nah, just me," he answered, hoping she would not be upset. One
thing about his sister was that she was emotionally fickle, extremely
happy one moment and utterly sad the next. Half of it was an act,
though. "Mom had to teach the evening class and dad..." he trailed
off, hoping she could figure out why he was not here.

"Took another training trip?" she finished, shaking her head with
a chuckle. "Silly daddy."

"Yeah," Ken said with less humor.

"Ah, cheer up," she whispered, putting her arm around his back and
flashing one of her trademark kawaii smiles at him. "He usually finds
the time to visit us."

"Most of the time," he said, holding his side in remembrance of
their last meeting.

"Are you okay, Ken?" his sister asked, concerned. "Dad smack you
hard last visit?"

"Yeah," he sheepishly admitted, biting his lip. He decided to
change the subject. "Grandfather was all worked up about something
yesterday," he informed her. "I couldn't get many details out of him,
though. He was crying as usual, so what he said was very slurred,
something about an old friend's son meeting him about some business or
another."

"No names?" she asked, probably wondering if she knew him.

"Nope, but I think he mentioned something about him being from the
States."

She looked at him curiously. "From the States? Grandfather knows
someone from there?"

Kenichi shrugged in reply. "Like I said, I couldn't get much out
of him. Guess we'll see."

"Yeah."

They continued walking slowly through the crowd until they entered
the cafeteria, when Mayako turned to her brother with a strained look
on her face.

"Can you wait right here, Ken?" she asked, a little bit tense. "I
have to go to the bathroom! The one of the flight smelt bad!"

He grinned, shrugging. "Sure thing, sis. Try not to take too long
though. I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

"I won't take that long," she promised before disappearing into
the ladies' restroom.

Kenichi impatiently paced outside the door, watching different
people commute through the airport's cafeteria. Something about crowds
made him shiver. He tended to avoid them like the plague, and
situations like this put him on edge. Perhaps it was good for him,
like his mother always said, to get out and socialize, meet new people
besides the one's he knew since birth, but that excuse never really
worked for him.

Sighing deeply, Kenichi turned to face the door of the ladies'
restroom, cynically thinking that if he wished hard enough, his sister
would stop taking her sweet time and rejoin him so that they could
leave. A bit of nausea wormed its way into his cast-iron senses, and
he closed his eyes and held his forehead. Maybe if he took a brisk
walk around the food court...

Not paying the least attention to his path, he collided into
someone, hard. Surprised, he sprawled backwards onto his bottom.
"Ouch," someone moaned as Kenichi regained his senses.

"I am so sorry!" he apologized, bowing his head from his prone
position. "Please forgive me...miss," he said, looking up quickly at
the person in front of him. He only caught a glimpse of her fiery red
hair as he began to help her collect her bags.

"Forget it," she muttered unenthusiastically.

The suitcase she had been carrying jarred open, spilling some of
its contents. Aside from some undergarments, which he tactfully let
her pick up, a properly folded martial arts gi bound with an
ornamental black belt caught his attention. He quickly searched for
any specific identifying marks as to match it with a school before he
shoved it in her suitcase, but did not recognize any. As he reached
for a rolled up shirt, their heads collided quite hard.

Shying back from her slightly, he looked up and caught her quick
glance. His mouth cracked open slightly and his eyes widened. Before
him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his young life,
bar none. Her sapphire blue eyes caught the light, reflecting back
into his eyes. Her lightly tanned skin was completely unblemished,
with no trace of make-up seen. Parted down the middle, her messy,
crimson bangs shaded her eyes, as her long red hair spilled over her
left shoulder in a loosely tied braid. She wore a simple red, knee-
length dress, yet on her it seemed fit to be worn by royalty. Turning
her head quickly, she broke their mutual glance.

His heart leapt through his chest and he realized he had yet to
take a breath since he laid his eyes upon her. Standing up quickly, he
offered his hand to her, his breath still held, hoping that she would
take it. Sparks shot up his arm when he felt her touch; her small,
warm hands felt softer than silk. Time seemed to freeze as he pulled
her to her feet, their eyes meeting one last time.

He bent over quickly, retrieving her suitcase and a sealed bag
that he failed to notice earlier and handed it to her. She took it
slowly, their hands touching again as the bag was passed to her
possession once more. The look on her face showed that she wanted to
say something, but instead she smiled.

"I'm sorry, miss...?" he apologized again, hoping that she would
give him her name.

"Nishiyama," she replied. She turned to leave, but looked at him
one last time. "You are forgiven, Kenichi-san."

His mouth creasing in a broad smile, he watched her until he could
see her no longer. The exchange over, he felt light-headed as he
unsteadily walked back to the door of the ladies' bathroom. Never in
his life had he ever felt like that, his heart beating rapidly,
sweating under his clothes and all together nervous.

"Nishiyama," he repeated, a dreamy look appearing on his face.
"How'd she know my name?" he thought out loud.

"I think the name tag was a big giveaway," his sister said, having
just exited the restroom. "You really should change out of your work
uniform before you go places." She paused for a moment and asked,
"Who's Nishiyama?"

"The girl of my dreams," he answered, still looking towards the
direction she had departed.

"Come on, lover boy," his sister said, tugging on his shirt-
sleeve. "Let's go get some grub."

"Uh-huh," he answered, the girl's face still pictured in his head.
"I hope that I see her again."

"Wish hard enough," Mayako told him, taking his hand a pulling him
towards the food court. "Airport food now or Okonomiyaki later?" She
paused as they entered the food court.

"Let's wait," he answered, catching up to walk beside her. "Auntie
is probably cooking, and that's more than worth it." Mayako nodded
picking up her pace. Kenichi could hear her stomach growling.

Something out of the corner of his eye caused him to turn his
head, and he saw her again, sitting across from a young man wearing a
business suit. "Hey, hold up a second, Mayako." She stopped and peered
at him curiously, while he looked at the redhead he bumped into
earlier.

"What are you looking at?" Mayako asked with a nudge.

Kenichi pointed towards where the girl sat. "See her?" Mayako
nodded. "That's the girl I was talking about. Isn't she amazing?"

"Can't see her too well from here," his sister stated, resting her
elbow on his shoulder. "But I see what you mean."

"Man, I wish I could go talk to her," Kenichi whispered, shaking
his head.

"Hey, now I get it," Mayako said, the tone of her voice
foreshadowing a brutal round of teasing. "So you DID have a crush on
Susanna Jimenez, that foreign exchange student who was in our class
last year!"

Warmth rushed to Kenichi's face as he stepped back, warding his
hands out in defense. "What?! Where'd you get that idea from? She
could barely speak Japanese!"

"Yeah, but her hair was almost that red!" Mayako shot back,
grinning at him. "And then there's that obsession with you and Jei-
Jei! Wow, I wonder why I didn't see it before. You've got a fetish for
redheads!"

"I am NOT obsessed with Jei-Jei!" he replied angrily, crossing his
arms over his chest. Jei-Jei, along with about two dozen other
warriors, were digital 'skins' for an adventure game the two of them
owned. Jei-Jei was a very attractive redhead warrior. "She's just the
best fighter; that's all. It's not like I use her a whole lot anyway.
I mostly use Jeraban." Jeraban, of course, was the bishounen guy with
an unrealistically long katana that he did use most of the time. He
let a simulant, a computer controlled character, use Jei-Jei, unless
someone played with him.

"Sure, whatever, making me play Jei-Jei and getting off on it,"
Mayako said disgusted. "And I thought I knew you!" She took off down
the terminal.

Kenichi stood stunned for a moment before running after her.

"That's disgusting, Mayako! How could you even think that?!"

"My brother, lusting after me like a hormone crazed animal?
Whatever is a girl to do?"

"Ack!"

"Haha! Gotcha...!"

And so Kenichi left the airport, completely forgetting about the
redheaded girl he had accidently met in the airport, for the time
being.

* * *

Moments before, a Boeing jumbo-jet performed a near flawless
landing, coming to a stop at its destination: Tokyo, Japan. After a
few moments, the runway crew had the portable stairway pressed up
against the plane, allowing its passengers to depart the craft. As the
first people made their way down the stairs, a gentle rain began to
caress the asphalt runway.

A pair of sad, sapphire blue eyes regarded this new event
stoically, and the redheaded girl that owned them held out her free
hand, catching a few droplets before reclaiming the suitcase at her
feet. She kept a steady pace down the stairway, her luggage steady at
her side. This homecoming would not be an easy one, no matter how
short she planned it to be.

Intent on meeting her older brother at the food court, she
followed the line of people into the airport terminal. The crowd in
San Francisco was nowhere near as bad as the one that greeted her
here. No matter how large the new airport in Tokyo was, there were too
many people cluttered together in the center. Though she was not
exactly nervous around large groups of people, that did not mean she
had to like being in them.

Throughout her life, one constant always seemed to be solitude.
Her childhood was spent in poverty and traveling, and she never had a
chance to grow accustomed to the large populations that cities held.
She could not wait to cast aside formalities and be back in the
countryside that had raised her. She wanted to surround herself with
something familiar, like a protective cloak shielding her from the
chill of her cold reality.

Why did it have to be so hard? Here she was, back in Tokyo where
everything had begun, and everything had ended, and yet she needed to
pull herself together to endure it all. Though the emotional calm that
she struggled to keep was not in much danger of crumbling, she was
still somewhat of a wreck. Her anger and frustration often got the
better of her, and that was only the start of her self realized
problems.

The fact that her sleep, for the past week, had been restless at
best did not help the matter. Nightmares of her past, present and
future all led up to the decisive moment that she might soon face, but
she could only wonder if she was ready. Her former life's love would
be so nearby that she needed to decide whether or not she was ready to
endure that conflict now, or later, after she had better prepared
herself. Unfortunately for her, fate always seemed ready to make that
choice for her.

Pressing those thoughts away for later, she mindlessly joined the
crowd. Jarred in every direction, she sorted through the people,
paying little attention to where she actually was being led.
Eventually the food court came into her sights, and she sighed. The
crowds had thinned by that time, and her brother would be waiting for
her.

Ready to begin search for him, she looked up, and gasped in shock.
Standing a few feet from the ladies' restroom door, a youth dressed in
a navy-blue shirt and grey slacks seemed to be waiting for someone.
The not-quite short, not quite tall stature, short black hair were not
lost on her. She trembled at the very sight, barely able to keep
walking forward.

It's probably not who you think, she thought, readying herself for
disappointment. Picking up her pace, she changed her course slightly
to walk past the person in question, and with every step, the
resemblance became closer. With growing hopes, Kimiko Nishiyama
approached whom she thought to be her former love, coming just close
enough to see the face.

She was totally caught of guard when her target took a quick step
back and smacked straight into her.

"Ouch," Kimiko moaned, her eyes still locked on the fallen form in
front of her. Something was wrong with the picture, and the answer
slowly dawned on her. The person she mistook to be Akane Tendou...was
male!

"I am so sorry!" the young man apologized, moving to gather her
bags. She could only stare at him dumbly. If the Akane that she
remembered had a younger brother, this would be him. From the short
black hair parted down the middle and hanging over his ears, to his
cute, heart-shaped face and large brown eyes, she did not feel quite
as stupid as she initially felt in mistaking him for Akane.

"Forget it," she muttered to him, very disappointed that he was
not who she wished him to be.

She shied her gaze from him the instant he looked up at her and
began to assess the condition of her fallen bags. She blushed
slightly, seeing her underwear scattered across the smooth, tiled
floor. As she began to return them to the proper suitcase, she leaned
over too close and their heads collided, rather hard. After she
quickly returned the clothing to the proper suitcase, she looked at
him again. This time, he returned the gaze, forcing her to quickly shy
her face once more in embarrassment.

He then stood and offered his hand to her. She debated his offer
for a moment, but could not see the harm in it; after all, her legs
still feeling a little wobbly. His cool hand easily enclosed her much
smaller one, as he helped her to her feet.

From the expression on his face, it appeared that he had something
to tell her, or that he knew her somehow. Smiling casually, she looked
at him intently, desperately wishing she could ask him if he was any
way related to Akane. Unfortunately, she could not will herself to ask
such a question out of the blue.

"I'm sorry, miss...?"

"Nishiyama," she answered mechanically.

With nothing left to say, she turned her back in preparation to
leave. There was more to this than a chance encounter with an Akane
clone, and she turned back to him again, noticing a name tag on his
shirt. "You are forgiven, Kenichi-san." She began to walk away from
him as fast as she could without attracting unnecessary attention.
Now, she had to locate her brother.

Kiyoshi Nishiyama patiently waited for her at one of the small
tables around one of the food vendors, sipping a cup of coffee, and
reading a newspaper. He had come on an earlier flight, the reasons for
which she did not know. Looking up as she approached, he smiled
warmly, pulling back a chair for her to sit on.

"Hey," she greeted, taking the offered seat.

"It's about time, Kimiko-chan," he replied, giving her shoulder a
fond squeeze before going back to the paper. "I was beginning to
worry."

"Someone bumped into me," she explained, stealing the coffee from
him and taking a sip. "He knocked my stuff all over the place."

"Oh?" he replied, looking up for a moment. His smile turned into a
grin. "Caught off guard?"

"Yeah, whatever," she admitted, turning out towards the busy food
court. "Ran into some kid who wasn't watching where he was going."

Kiyoshi's face took on a more grim manner, like when he was ready
to tell her one of his depressing stories to maybe make her feel like
her situation was not as bad as she thought. She did not give him the
chance.

"Hey, look," she quickly stated, then stole one more sip of the
burning hot coffee, before surrendering it back to him. "I've got
something that I really have to do, Kiyoshi-kun," she informed him.
"I'll call a cab when I'm ready to go. Where are we staying?"

"The Hilton in Tokyo proper," he responded with a blank face. "I
guess this is one of those 'Don't ask, don't tell' things?" She nodded
slowly. "Okay, but try to finish it up as soon as possible. When
you're done, ask at the front desk and someone will show you to the
room. And be back by dark?"

"I'll try," she told him, rising to her feet. "I'll probably get
there before you, knowing how slow you drive."

"Just be careful," he said, slightly irritated at her choice of
subjects in which to tease him. He would never get over the fact that
a turtle could beat him in a race as he drove a Corvette. He
halfheartedly waved to her, and whispered, "See you later."

"Bye, Kiyoshi-kun."

Without further notice, she took her red handbag from the table
and quickly slipped back into the food court. She truly wished that
she had worn pants instead of a dress, but with Amanda dropping her
off at the airport, the outfit she now wore had been picked out for
her days in advance. While using her preferred travel method through
busy cities, she realized that wearing dresses tended to give the male
population nose bleeds.

Kimiko quickly discovered her target who was being half-dragged by
a dark-haired girl roughly his height. Keeping a safe distance away,
Kimiko followed the couple out of the airport, to the parking lot
outside. A bit of panic started to fill her when she realized that she
probably would not be able to keep up with them if they took a car.

She grinned when they unlocked a pair of bikes and begin to leave
the parking lot. She could easily follow bicyclists. Hiking her dress
up slightly to give her more mobility and strapping her handbag around
her shoulders and waist, she sprinted to keep up with the teenagers.
Stunned onlookers watched her as she sped by them in her marathon to
keep up.

Running down the sidewalks after them soon proved difficult
through Tokyo's crowds, so Kimiko had to improvise. Steering down the
nearest alley, Kimiko launched herself at the concrete wall on one
side of the enclosed space, and immediately rebounded to the opposite
side. A few more bounces, and she neatly landed on top of the shortest
building. All of the structures in the immediate area were roughly the
same height, to her luck.

The chase continued, but this time she was a hawk following her
prey, instead of a wolf. The sky was her element as she leapt
rooftops, easily keeping track of her targets. The couple had stopped
at a light, giving her a chance to rest on top of an apartment
building. From her seat on bench, a bewildered teenage girl, reading a
book, sitting under an umbrella, stared at Kimiko with wide eyes.

"Hi," Kimiko greeted with a smile.

The girl's only response was to blink.

The light turned green, and Kimiko leapt off the building in a
blinding surge of speed. Time slowed as she descended towards the
sidewalk on the opposing side of the street. Luckily, she did not land
close enough to startle anyone too badly, and the bike riders had
already passed her moments before so they would not notice her.

Already slightly winded, Kimiko followed their trail a little more
slowly, hoping for another red light to slow their pace. Akane's look
alike, Kenichi, and the girl with him tore down the street, as if
racing one another. Kimiko fought to keep up, but she just was not up
to the long distance, high speed chases anymore.

The couple turned down a street, leaving the redhead's sight for a
few moments until she turned the corner. They had dismounted their
bikes, walking towards a train station.

"Thank God," she muttered, slowing to a walk. Unknown to her until
now, sweat covered her body. Her dress clung to her as if it were a
size too small, especially around her breasts and thighs. She brushed
away her soaked bangs, slicking them back and tightening the tie on
her ponytail. Quickly readjusting her red dress and ignoring a few
voyeurs, Kimiko unstrapped her handbag and calmly followed the two who
were walking their bikes towards the station.

After a brisk walk up the stairs, she watched as the teenagers led
their bikes into the train. Locating a few coins in her handbag, she
slipped them into the turn-style, and approached the train. The snake-
like machine was only a few cars long, but the design took her breath
away. It was shaped like a tube, and its silver coat was shiny enough
to reflect the sun brightly into her eyes. The bottom of the train was
flat, and it hovered several feet off the clear track. Electricity
sparked underneath the floating metal snake as it hung their, as if
its tail was hook around a branch above, and its head was gobbling up
the passengers as they approached.

Kimiko cautiously entered the same car as the teenagers did,
except she used the other door. The interior of the train was just
like a bus and had about as much room. There was room for two people
to sit on each chair, and there were bike racks well above them. The
boy, Kenichi, was hooking his to the ceiling, while the girl was
sitting down.

Kimiko ducked into an empty seat behind a tall, blond gaijin man,
who partially obscured her view of the teens. She scooted to the
window seat to see past him, then watched as Kenichi sat next to the
girl.

With a deep sigh, Kimiko slouched into the soft bench seat and
closed her eyes. The electric hum of the train tempted her senses with
the release of sleep, but she knew well she did not have that option,
no matter how badly she wanted it. Train safety was never very high
when she had last been in Tokyo, though some sense told her that
things had changed.

The train's doors closed with a loud swish of air, and the metal
snake began coasting, though she barely felt the transition. Her heart
began to race when she saw the view. The city of Tokyo glittered
against the sunlight, a brilliant star on Earth. When her mind had
been focused on chasing the teenagers, she had kept her senses all
trained on the race, but now that she had the time to stop and smell
the roses, they were sweeter than she could have imagined.

As she began taking in the sights, the city blurred as the train
accelerated like a flash of light, burning from one side of the city
all the way across, into a less populated suburb. The train kept
burning its trail through Tokyo, and Kimiko only sat stunned until it
began to slow as they approached the next station.

The teenagers did not even budge, so Kimiko stayed in her seat.
The blond gaijin that had been in front of her stood and exited the
train. This time, a decent sized crowd boarded the train, quickly
filling the seats. A brunette in a dirtied school uniform beamed a
smile at Kimiko as she sat.

"Hello," Kimiko said quietly, turning back to the window as the
doors swished shut. Again, the only reason she knew the train actually
moved was due to the city moving, then blurring in her vision. She
only half watched it, thinking about what she planned to do after she
discovered where the boy lived, or wherever he was going. What would
she do then, lift his wallet and pretend he dropped it when they
bumped in the airport? Although now that she thought about it, it was
not a half-bad idea.

Again the train arrived at the next station. As it came to a
complete stop, half of the occupants stood, obscuring her view of the
teenagers. Kimiko calmly stood, but most of the people around were
taller than her, so she still could not make out the couple. Walking
past the brunette and into the aisle, she approached where the two had
been seated, and saw them in the same spot they had been. Noticing the
seat behind them empty, she quickly sat in it.

"No way," Kimiko heard a female voice in front of her argue. "Dan
Lieu beats him nine times out of ten. Plus, he's way hotter."

"Attractiveness doesn't count," a male voice retorted. "If I
remember correctly, I beat you three times in a row while you were
using Dan, and I beat you every time. Don't even give me that "he's
way hotter, too" bullshit, Mayako. You don't know what you're talking
about."

"Okay, baka," the girl amusedly said back. "But he is, anyway.
Have you ever really looked, and I mean REALLY looked at his butt? He
could kill somebody with that thing if he isn't careful, whew."

If Kimiko would have known they would be talking about butts and
hot guys, she would have thought twice about sitting behind them. But
it was too late as the doors swished shut and the train started again.

"I don't really look at digital guy's butts," the boy defensively
said.

"Oh, that's right. You only look at real guy's butts."

And that was when their conversation turned into a long string of
insults. Kimiko tried to block out their constant banter, preferring
the scenery and her thoughts. She rested her head against the
vibrating glass windows, closing her eyes. When they reached the next
station, the two teens stood and began to unhook their bicycles from
the racks above the walkway. Kimiko did her best to hide from them as
they finished and began to exit the train. She followed.

Kimiko should not have been surprised at their new location, but
she was none-the-less. The very familiar streets of Nerima were a hard
one to forget, and any relative of Akane would almost definitely come
here. Almost all doubt of their relationship with her former love
vanished as she left the station, following them closely behind.

In the suburbs of the Nerima district, she hardly had any trouble
taking to the rooftops, as they were almost all the same height.
Following them from up above, Kimiko glided effortlessly from one to
the next, easily keeping up. Though the rooftops were still quite wet
from the rain, she had little trouble maintaining her balance. They
were all very similar, tiled in classical Japanese fashion, slanting
downward from the center.

Drops of rain silently began to fall from the heavens once again,
at first a light mist and then an all out downpour a minute after it
started. Kimiko scowled and jumped from the roofs onto the sidewalk.
It was simply too dangerous to travel over slick tiles in the rain.
She would have to keep to the other side of the road to not be seen.

Watching the two teenagers dismount from their bicycles, chaining
them to a pole in front of their destination before entering it,
Kimiko felt her knees wabble. Although in a different location,
"Ucchan's" stood, doors open, almost as if beckoning for her to enter.
She wondered whether Ukyou would be there or not, since twenty years
had passed since she had last seen the girl. With the hopeful notion
of seeing her old friend again, she cautiously entered, avoiding the
boy she had followed here.

Taking a seat in the back with a view of the bar, she plopped down
in a padded bench seat with a sigh. She looked around at all the
people, wondering if she knew any of them in her past life. With a
good view of the teenagers she had followed, she quickly recognized
their distinctive appearances. She knew for a fact that those two were
twins, both looking like younger versions of Akane. The girl's hair
was much longer than her brother's, but that was probably the only
difference other than their clothing. Just seeing them sent chills up
her spine.

"Hello!" a cheerful, young waitress, popping out of nowhere,
greeted, startling Kimiko. She bowed deeply. "Welcome to Ucchan's! I'm
Mai and I'll be your server." The bouncy girl in front of her seemed
vaguely familiar, but Kimiko could not place her. She was very
beautiful and probably no older than thirteen or fourteen. She was
dressed in a makeshift outfit, consisting of white blouse, light blue
skirt and an apron. She smiled at the redhead warmly, showing her thin
elfin features. Though her beauty might have made her stand out, the
natural purple highlights in her otherwise normal black hair only did
more so.

The waitress placed a menu in front of Kimiko and said, "Can I get
you anything to drink?"

She responded, "Water will be fine."

"Okay, just flag me down when you're ready to order!" With that
said, the girl skipped away, leaving Kimiko to herself again. Who
could she be? She pondered for a few moments when her eyes opened
wide. Cooking okonomiyaki behind the bar, stood someone who was very
familiar, making the identity of the waitress click into her head.
Shampoo must have had a daughter.

Shampoo, though definitely showing signs of age, looked very good
for being approximately thirty-six. She looked much more mature and
wore a style of clothing that Kimiko had never seen her wear before:
modest. When Kimiko had been pursued by her, all Shampoo had worn were
skin-tight outfits which were anything but that. Her pretty violet
hair was styled very differently, cut much shorter than Kimiko
remembered it to be.

Pretending to glance through her menu, her eyes shifted between
the twins and Shampoo. This was simply too weird. She watched Mai go
over to the twins and start a conversation, apparently familiar with
each other. Maybe she would ask her if they were related to Akane, but
she decided just to generally ask about them, instead. Kimiko waved
towards the little waitress.

Returning to Kimiko's table, Mai asked, "Have you decided yet?"

"I'll have a plain and a special," Kimiko told her. As Mai turned
to tell the cook of her order, Kimiko quickly asked, "Can I ask you a
quick question?"

The waitress turned back curiously and responded with a nod.

"Do you know who those two by the bar are?"

"Huh? Oh, they're Kenichi and Mayako Tendou," Mai answered. "Why
do you ask?" Placing her hands on her hips, the girl stood, smiling.

"No reason," Kimiko said, staring between the two. "They're twins,
right?" Mai nodded. To dispel any further curiosity on the waitress'
part she explained, "They just look familiar -- that's all."

Tendou. That was not a name she expected them to bear. Soun could
have remarried and had more children, one of the Tendou girls got
pregnant without a husband, or maybe the husband took the Tendou name.
The second option seemed very unlikely, since the three girls were
much too smart to do so. Kimiko disregarded Akane without so much as a
thought, and Nabiki was much too clever to put herself in a position
like that. Kasumi probably married Dr. Tofu and she would not have sex
without marriage anyway. One of them must have married, having the
father take the Tendou name. Again, without even thinking, she had
already narrowed them down to being either Nabiki's or Kasumi's
children.

Eighteen years was too long of a time to be away. She desperately
wanted to run up to Shampoo and throw her arms around her, but she
knew much better than to cast off her identity. The consequences would
be more than she was willing to pay. Her mind further wandering, she
wondered how all of her friends would react to her being back.
Considering her current condition and appearance, they might mistake
her for her own daughter, but hopefully they would not even make that
much of a connection. Even if they did find out, would they accept her
again, or would they disown her?

Ranma was dead and Kimiko felt the need to keep it that way.
Bringing him back would only sully the Saotome name. She did not
deserve to be one anymore. Holding her head in her hands, she knew
that what Ryouga did to her was the worst thing that could possibly
happen to her, the loss of everything she held dear. He did not even
put her out of her misery. Without realizing it, tears started flowing
down her cheeks.

* * *

"The usual, Kenichi-kun?" Shampoo asked for the third time.

"Yeah," he muttered. His mind was definitely not on eating right
now. Up until he bumped into that girl in the airport, he did not
believe in love at first sight, disregarding it as nothing more than a
creation of cheap romance novels. It was too bad it had to be at the
airport where she probably was going to take a flight out of the city,
and he would never see her again. And if it was not for Mayako's
teasing, he might have even worked up the nerve to go and talk to her
at the airport's food court.

"You okay, Ken?" Mayako asked, concern evident in her voice. She
put her hand to his head. "You look out of it. You're not still
thinking about that girl from the airport are you?"

"Who is she, Kenichi-san?" a curious Mai asked, startling him.

"I don't know," he told them truthfully. "She was the most
beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life." He sighed, resting his
head on his hands.

"If you like the exotic, drain every yen out of you, shark type,"
Mayako teased, patting her brother on the back.

"Why would you like someone like that, Kenichi-san?" Mai demanded
when Mayako finished.

"Hey, she was not like that at all," he said in the redhead's
defense. "At least, she didn't seem that way. It's not like either of
us even met her."

"I didn't even really get that good of a view of her. What did she
look like?" Mayako inquired further.

"Red hair, blue eyes, tanned skin," Kenichi began, picturing her
face in his head. "She was kind of small, probably only a couple
inches over five-foot tall. She wore a red dress, and..." He stopped,
sighing wistfully. "She was really pretty."

"Oh," Mai replied sadly. "Well, maybe you'll see her again."

"Yeah right," Mayako laughed. "With his luck?"

Kenichi only grunted in reply to his sister. His mind already
began to wander again, thinking about her black belt. The symbols on
it were strange, and they certainly did not look Japanese. Then, his
mind started poking around a fantasy of meeting her in a martial arts
tournament, and after he beat her, he would...

"He's really got it bad," Mai muttered to his sister. Kenichi paid
them little attention, his focus still on her image. "I've never seen
him like this, even with all the girls at school after him."

"No kidding," she whispered back. Turning back to Kenichi she
teased, "I was starting to think you were gay."

Letting the remark go, he simply stared forward at nothing.
"Hey, wait a minute. I think I've seen that girl you're talking
about," Mai blurted, gaining his full and complete attention. "She
even asked about you."

"W-what?" he stammered in complete incomprehension. "You've seen
her?!" More of her words clicked in. "She asked about m-me?" Had his
wish come true? Could she actually be here, or was Mai teasing him?

"Sure is. She's sitting right over there," Mai said, pointing
towards the back.

"If you're kidding me..." he trailed off, leaving the threat
unspoken. He stood up, getting a grip of his senses, and with all the
calm he could muster he walked towards the direction Mai indicated,
his sister close on his tail.

No more than five seconds later, he stood before her, just as
beautiful as he remembered. Her head rested on the table in her hands,
tears fresh on her cheeks. Her hair was still wet with rain, falling
over her face. He heard a muted sob sound from her and became
determined to find out what was wrong.

"Mind if we join you?" his sister asked for him, he silently
thanking her.

Looking up at them, the girl stopped crying instantly, her face
full of unreadable emotions. Her eyes, still bright red from her
tears, danced between them. He stood there waiting for her answer in
suspended animation, nothing moving and no one speaking. He could do
nothing but stare at her, the closest thing he had ever see to an
angel.

"Suit yourselves," she finally told the twins, wiping tears from
her cheeks with her bare, right forearm.

They sat down, Mayako across from her and he next to Mayako.

"What's wrong, sugar?" his sister asked, offering the redhead a
napkin, which she took. "You look like you needed a friend."

"More than you know," she mused, chuckling sardonically. "I'm
Kimiko Nishiyama," she managed to say between sniffles.

"I'm Mayako Tendou," his sister began, introducing herself. Then
she continued, indicating towards him, "And this is my brother
Kenichi, whom I think you've met before."

"Hi," he managed to say, still shocked at meeting her again. Fate
must be beside him, he decided. There was simply no explanation to
bumping into her twice, neither knowing the other before the events.

"Do you come here often?" Mayako inquired, trying to spark
conversation. "I've never seen you before."

"I don't live in Tokyo," she told them. "I've never been here
before."

Just as Kimiko finished talking, Mai strode up to them, their
okonomiyaki in her hands. She calmly placed them in their prospective
places, smiling weakly at Kenichi. "If you guys need anything else,
just holler." With that, she left them to their conversation.

"Where in Japan are you from, then?" Kenichi asked, hoping she did
not live too far away.

"Actually, I'm from the United States," Kimiko said, beginning to
pick at her food. She did not quite look Japanese and her accent
sounded a little strange, but she definitely had learned in Japan.
"How about you guys?" she asked, in between mouthfuls.

"We live here in Nerima," Mayako answered. "How long are you
staying?"

"I'm not really sure," the redhead answered, solemnly. "Probably
no longer than a week."

Kenichi's hopes wilted. He had found his dream-girl...only to find
that she would be leaving soon.

"Ever been to Japan before?" Kenichi asked, trying to get more
information out of her. She nodded to his question, her mouth full of
food.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Mayako suddenly asked the girl.

"Talk about what?"

"You know, what you were crying about," Mayako clarified. Kimiko
stopped eating, putting her chopsticks down, her eyes downcast.

Kenichi turned to his sister, disapprovingly. She bit her lip. "I'm
sorry. I shouldn't have been so nosy."

"Don't be," Kimiko replied nonchalantly. "I've just had a long
day; that's all. Nothing for you to worry about."

"If you're sure," Mayako sighed. "It is nice to have someone you
can talk to if you need, though."

"I appreciate the offer," Kimiko said, her face softening. "I
really don't know you guys, but if you want to talk, why don't you
tell me about yourselves?"

Kenichi, waiting for a moment to speak, deemed it time. "What
would you like to know?" With his gaze unwavering from her, he wanted
to know everything about her. Nothing escaped his eyes, especially not
the way she looked at his sister and him, as if she knew more than
meets the eye. Something about her simply called to him, begging for
the release of her sadness. Her simple presence was more gratifying
than any novel he had read, sport he had played or technique he had
learned.

"Anything," Kimiko said. She hummed and her eyes lit up. "Do you
know martial arts?"

"Yeah," he replied evenly. That in itself was an understatement,
or so he figured. His parents, since he was old enough to walk, had
been teaching him and his sister to be the successors of the Anything-
Goes style of martial arts and the Tendou dojo. Both of them were the
best fighters in their school, not to mention in their age group at
tournaments. Though he openly admitted his sister was better, he more
than knew martial arts. "How about you? I couldn't help but notice
your black belt when your suitcase broke open."

Her face visibly reddened as did his, most likely remembering some
of the other contents that spilled from her suitcase. "I'm okay," she
responded. "You two any good?"

"We've been practicing since we were little," Mayako bragged,
grinning at him. "We enter lots of tournaments, and we win most of
them."

"Oh, so modest," Kenichi teased, elbowing his sister playfully, a
little sad he did not get the chance to follow up asking about her
training.

"Maybe we can get together before I leave and spar or something,"
the redhead suggested, picking up her chopsticks.

"That'd be great," he replied emphatically. He turned to his
sister and asked, "Does mom have class tomorrow?"

"Nope," she replied. "Tomorrow's Saturday. Why, what's up?"

"How about we set up a date for tomorrow?" When Mayako grinned at
him deviously, he added, "Just the three of us at the dojo?"

"I don't think I have plans," Kimiko said.

"Works for me, little brother."

They continued to converse, talking about nothing important.
Kenichi had few moments in his life that were this happy, but tomorrow
would exceed them all. If she would only be here a week, he would try
to make the best of it. His heart soaring, they left Ucchan's for home
after Mayako reminded him that Kimiko did not know the location of
their dojo.



As they had finished eating at Ucchan's, Kimiko smiled inwardly.
Luck could not have been better for her. Here she was, expecting to
have to follow them and eavesdrop to figure out who they were and
other information, and maybe even have to pick-pocket Kenichi, but now
she was talking to them freely and invited to their house.

While this was good news, she could not help but feel a little
scared, not that she would admit it of course, but she knew she had to
face everyone sometime. Though she may be leaving in less than a week,
she might as well take a look around the place. If Akane was there,
she would take it like a...well she would act for all she was worth.
She had to know Akane's fate and she now had the chance. Nothing could
cause her to back down now.

As they exited the building, she looked up at what few stars were
visible, silently thanking whatever god existed that she had a chance
to see Akane again. Her unhappiness forgotten, she followed the
friendly twins to their home.

"Kimiko?"

"Huh?" she asked, embarrassed that she had been so deep in thought
that she missed what they were saying.

"You feeling okay?" Ken asked her, much concern evident in his
voice.

"Oh, yeah," she replied. "I was just thinking."

"Yen for your thoughts," Mayako said with her head arched back so
that she could view the heavens.

Kimiko thought about a response for a second before answering.
"I'm just happy that I've made a few friends already. I was a little
scared I'd only have my brother to talk to the entire trip."

Her answer made Kenichi beam. She wondered if he did not have many
friends, either. He had not exactly been acting strange all night, but
his behavior stood on a fine line in between. Although, she figured
that she was the last person who should be judging other people, her
weird friends and everything she had been through.

Mayako had acted like she knew a joke that no one else quite
understood. Though she was undeniably joyful like her brother, her
good mood was more directed towards Kenichi than towards her, or so it
seemed. Maybe Kimiko's first assumption was right in that he did not
have many friends.

The trio arrived at the gates of the Tendou residence, looking
exactly like Kimiko had left it so many years ago. As they began to
walk through the gates, the heavens picked that moment to began to
rain once again.

"Let's get inside quick!" Mayako exclaimed, pulling Kimiko and Ken
towards the house.

Up until this point, Kimiko did not think about what would happen
if someone recognized her. Her heart skipped a beat as they entered
the house, removing their shoes. Who would be here to recognize her?

As if answering her unspoken question, someone very familiar waved
to them as they entered the living room. Soun Tendou, his hair as
white as a sheet of paper, smiled at his grandchildren. Still wearing
his off-white, disturbingly old gi, the elderly man stood and walked
up the trio.

"I'm glad you two are back," he told them. "It seems you have
brought one of your friends."

"Yes, Grandfather Soun!" Mayako said cheerfully, hugging him with
the same enthusiasm. "Grandfather Soun, this is Kimiko Nishiyama."

"Greetings elder," Kimiko replied with a deep bow, praying he did
not recognize her.


Leaning forward, Soun shifted a pair glasses to the bridge of his
nose and looked at the redhead thoughtfully. His mouth creased
slightly, and his eyes narrowed, but he quickly regained his composure
and smiled broadly. "It is good to meet you, dear." After being
released by Mayako, he calmly turned and walked back to his chair,
sitting down and pretending to read the newspaper.

Casting nervous glances at the children's retreating figures, he
tossed the paper aside, rushing into the kitchen. Lifting the phone
receiver, he quickly dialed a set of numbers and waited as it rang.
"Hello?" a high-pitch voice piped on the other side.

"Hello, Eiji-chan," Soun greeted, his voice audibly shaken. "Is
your Uncle Genma around?"

"Yes, Grandpa!" Eiji replied enthusiastically. "I'll go get him
right now!"

Hearing the receiver drop and slam against a hard surface, Soun
smiled nervously. Weakly sucking cold air into his lungs, he warily
closed his eyes, placing his hand to his brow. Pulling up a kitchen
stool to his position, he quickly sat before his legs fell out from
underneath him.

"Yes?" a deep, male voice exhaustedly asked.

"It's me, Saotome-kun," Soun replied quickly, removing his hand
from his sweaty forehead and wiping the perspiration on his gi pants.

"Ah, Tendou-kun, my friend. What is the matter?"

"I have met someone who may be related to your son."

The silent sound of static responded to his statement in addition
to Genma's heavy breathing.

"Are you sure?" Genma asked finally, copying the shaky tone of his
friend's voice.

"Not totally," Soun admitted. "But the girl my grandchildren
introduced me to looked exactly like your son's cursed form did when
we last saw him...but maybe a bit younger, I believe."

Another dramatic pause filtered through the receiver, praying upon
Soun's nerves.

"Anything else?" Genma asked slowly, breathing heavily against the
receiver.

"Yes," Soun replied, nervously adjusting his belt with his free

hand. "She gave her name as Kimiko Nishiyama."

"As in Nobukazu Nishiyama, and his adopted son?"

"That might be, Saotome-kun. I'm meeting the boy in a few days, so
we shall see by then."

"It has been too long," Genma stated solemnly.

"Aye, it has."

"Would you like to talk to your daughter?"

"No, let's leave her out of this for now."

"Good thinking, Tendou-kun. Find out what you can."

"I will, Saotome-kun. Ja ne."

"Ja ne," Soun heard Genma reply as he placed the receiver on its
hook.



Relaxing a bit as the trio left the living room, Kimiko sighed.
She figured that Soun was as oblivious as Kasumi used to be. The
thought that bothered her, though, was the fact that the twins had
addressed him as "Grandfather Soun," and not father. One of the Tendou
sisters must have had them. She dreaded the answer to that mystery.
"Let's go to my room," Mayako suggested.

Not having anything better to do at the moment, Kimiko simply
shrugged, and Kenichi followed the two girls as they made their way
through the hall and up the stairs. They passed the room that Kimiko
had used with her father and walked into Kasumi's old room. As they
entered, the room was dark but Mayako quickly flipped the wall switch,
lighting up a small globe on the ceiling.

The room was furnished brightly, reminding Kimiko of Sally's taste
in decoration. Her dresser, on the immediate left, seemed to be the
only plain furnishing in here, most likely a hand-me-down. The bed
across the room had sky blue sheets with matching pillow cases. A
vanity mirror and a shelf, holding a stereo and various music items,
were against the right wall across from the bed. Next to the bed, a
night stand with dozens of trophies stood. The walls were completely
covered from ground to ceiling with every type of poster one could
imagine, from athletes to bunnies. The window on the left wall and far
wall were shaded with sky blue curtains, matching the bed.

"Wow," Kimiko said, kneeling by the night stand. Some of the
trophies were for soccer, while the others were for martial arts
competitions. The trophies themselves did not impress her much, but if
they represented half the talent they hinted at, the girl was a superb
athlete. Kimiko then sat down on the bed, right next to the stand.
"You must be pretty good to win all of these."

"Miss Perfect?" Kenichi sarcastically asked, sitting next to her.
"She's the world's best at everything! Haven't you heard?"

Jumping onto the bed and grabbing her brother in a head lock,
Mayako ground her knuckles against the top of his head. When she
released him, she sat back, and turned to Kimiko. "He meant that I am
good, but I have lots of room for improvement."

"Yeah, but you use every free moment of your time to rub it in how
good you think you really are," he teased, then stuck out his tongue.
Kimiko chuckled at their antics.

"Mock me again, and you're not going to be able to stand for a
week!" Mayako then feigned a punch, which Kenichi attempted dodged,
leaning back into Kimiko, who was caught off guard by the sudden
contact. His shoulder brushed up along her body as he sat up. Mayako
just laughed out loud.

"Sorry," he apologized scooting back to the middle of the bed,
blushing every inch of the way.

"Do I need to separate you two?" Kimiko asked jokingly.

"I'll be good," Mayako promised, saluting her. "You'll get used to
us beating on each other after a while. Everyone else does."

Kimiko had to smile at Mayako's answer. As Kenichi started to
bicker with his sister more about her always starting their bickering,
Kimiko just watched them, crossing her arms over her chest. She
studied Mayako's face, still trying to shake off her stunning
resemblance with Akane, but something did not fit, and it was not her
longer hair. The girl's personality reminded Kimiko more of Sally or
even Shampoo rather than Akane.

The girl noticed Kimiko's scrutinizing eye, responding with a
friendly wink and a smile. Although not quite Akane, Mayako definitely
seemed like friendship material, from her flamboyant attitude to her
ability to be so outgoing. A little bit of that girl was all that
Kimiko really needed to cheer up. Now, her brother was another matter
entirely.

Somehow, Kenichi fit Akane's description better than his sister.

"Oh, be quiet," Mayako finished, putting her hand across her
brother's mouth. "Go sit on the floor before I boot you off. You
wouldn't want me to kick your ass in front of our new friend, would
you?" She flashed her eyebrows innocently.

Taking her hand from his face, he rolled his eyes and slid back to
the wall. After flashing an apologetic look to Kimiko, he settled and
seemed concede his defeat to his sister.

"He gets the top grades in his class, yet he can't even figure out
that he's the root of all my problems!" Mayako teased, throwing her
hands up in the air. "But, he is my little brother after all."

Kimiko blinked in confusion. "Aren't you twins?"

"Well-" Mayako began.

"We are," Kenichi interrupted, ignoring his sister's glare. "She
just says that because she was born a few minutes before me, although
you'd think it was a few years by the way she treats me." He smiled at
Kimiko, then shied his face, staring at the bed.

"You only get what you deserve," Mayako replied, crossing her arms
over her breasts. "But we've argued long enough." She turned to
Kimiko, absently massaging her own shoulder with her hand. "Let's talk
about something else,"How about you? Have a boyfriend?"

It was her turn to feel like she was in the spotlight now. Her
cheeks reddened a little bit, and she shook her head. "I've been too
busy training for the last year to have any...relationships."

"What were you training for, Kimiko-san?" Kenichi inquired. She
turned to him, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I had an...accident a while back." Carefully wording things, she
tried to tell them about her problems without giving too much away. "I
had to retrain my body to get back in shape, but I'm well now."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mayako whispered. With slightly raised
volume, she added, "But I'm glad you got better."

"Me too," Kenichi said, smiling. Changing the subject, he asked,
"Did you arrive with your parents, or are you here alone?"

"I'm with my brother," she replied nervously, hoping that they did
not delve any further into the subject. Careful not to volunteer too
much information, she added, "After he finishes business of some sort,
we're heading to China."

"Cool," Mayako stated, grasping her knees with her hands. "You
going to see the Great Wall?"

"Probably not," she answered. "Kiyoshi has business in China too
also. He offered me the chance to accompany him and I accepted. Not
like I have anything better to do with my summer."



Kenichi quietly listened to his sister and Kimiko talk about
China, since his sister had visited twice before and he had not. The
subject mildly interested him, but he really had no reason to traverse
outside of Japan. His interest laid within martial arts, books and
art, none of which, he figured, China could help him with.

Merely listening intently to Kimiko's voice, he silently sat back,
relaxing in her presence. He watched her lips move as she spoke with
her light, thoughtful voice. Recognizing an intelligence beyond her
age that she held within the depths of her eyes, he stared at her as
if paying attention to their conversation.

He continued to look at her, the best thing ever to happen to him,
with unrelenting interest, failing to take notice to the fact that
they were trying to address him.

"Wake up, zombie-boy," his sister said, knuckling his forehead.

"Hey," he shot back. "Why'd you do that?"

"I asked you a question, dopey," she informed him. The twist of
her lips and the slant of her brows denoted her obvious amusement,
threatening future teasing.

"What is it, then?" he sighed.

As Mayako only continued to smirk, Kimiko answered for her.

"She asked if you were ever going to leave Nerima, or if you would
rather stay here and be a hermit." the redhead repeated for Mayako,
the edge of a smile hinting on her lips.

If his sister had spoken the question, he would have had a witty
remark or just ignored it, but he could not very well think of a reply
to Kimiko.

"Well," he began. "I don't have any reason to leave yet, but I do
plan to see Italy someday, and maybe even Greece."

"Yeah, yeah," Mayako teased. "He's always jabbering about Italy,
and the great artists and stuff like that, but he never takes the time
to go out and see it!"

"Like I have that kind of cash, Mayako," he replied icily.

"All you have to do is ask Mom," she told him neutrally. "It's not
like we're starved for money, or anything."

"Whatever," he said. Diverting the conversation from his personal
business, he asked, "So, Kimiko, what's California like?"

Kimiko yawned softly, placing her hand over her mouth, then faced
him. Her bright blue eyes blinked as she considered her answer. "Well,
where I'm from it's pretty cold and windy, and rains a lot." She
turned to Mayako with a smile. "But only a half-hour drive away, and
you can get to Carmel beach, which is a great place to hang out. I
haven't traveled around, except on the central coast."

"I bet there are lots of blond guys running around on the beaches
over there," Mayako said with a half-smile and a dreamy look on her
face. Kimiko laughed out loud, stifling it a moment later with her
hand.

"Not even," the redhead replied, waving her hand. "There's a
mixture of all kinds of people, not just blond surfers, like you see
in the movies."

"How's the schools over there?" Kenichi asked, leaning forward
with interest.

Kimiko turned and smiled. "They're a lot like schools here, except
the students have to go from class to class instead of the teachers.
Pretty dumb idea, making thirty kids walk around instead of one stupid
teacher. That's really the only difference that I noticed."

"When did you go to school here?" Mayako inquired. "I thought you
grew up in America?"

Shaking her head, Kimiko answered slowly. "Well, I mostly lived in
Japan." Something in her voice told Kenichi that this was a delicate
area. Kimiko glanced around, as if searching to further answer their
question, but instead went in a different direction. "How well do you
guys know English?"

"Enough to pass the class with a B." Although Kenichi answered her
question, he did not forget her evasion of Mayako's earlier question.
"Mayako knows less than me. Languages aren't our best areas of
learning."

As if to test his statement, Kimiko said something in English. He
knew it was a question, but could make no sense of it. He wondered why
everyone who spoke English fluently had to speak it so damn fast.

"Ah, too bad," she said, pouting at him. "But you really don't
have to know great English to survive in California. As long as you
know Japanese or Spanish, you'll find someone to translate. You will
be left out of a lot of stuff, though."

"I speak a little Mandarin," Mayako offered, smiling. "Both of my
friends Ryosei and Mai know it fluently, and my cousin Reiko speaks
English pretty well. But I'm a doze of in English class. It's really
boring, and it's not like I want to go to America anyway."

Kimiko shrugged. From the look on her face, she had a different
opinion, but kept it to herself. She glanced over at Mayako's digital
clock, staring at it in disbelief. "Is it dark out already?"
Mayako opened the window, and pointed at the dark sky.

"Oh, damn. I promised my brother I'd be back at the hotel before
dark. I really ought to leave now."

"If you want to do anything before you leave to China, Kenichi is
here most of the day, besides when he works," Mayako told her, smiling
casually. "I'm here from five or six on, unless I'm having friends
over, or something. You're welcome to just drop on by anytime."

"I will," Kimiko promised. "How about tomorrow?"

"We're earlier risers, so whatever time is good for you is good
for us," Kenichi told her.

"Okay, I gotta go now," she said sadly. "Can I use your phone?"

"Sure," Mayako answered, pointing to the phone on the wall next to
her bed.

Kimiko stood up and sat on the bed, grabbing the phone and
dialing. She waited, receiver to her ear. "Hello? Yes, this is Kimiko
Nishiyama. Great, I'm at the Tendou Training Hall. Know where that is?
Cool, I'll do that. Bye." She put the receiver on its stand and stood
up. "The cab will be here in ten minutes. I'm gonna go wait out front
for it."

"I'll wait with you," Kenichi offered quickly.

"I've got some stuff I have to do," Mayako said reluctantly. "I'll
see you tomorrow though!" With that she nudged her brother with her
hip and winked, then waved to Kimiko.

The redhead nodded and calmly walked out of the room, Kenichi
following close on her heels. They walked down the stairs. "I want to
say good-bye to your Grandfather," Kimiko told him, and he nodded,
following her into the living room.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Tendou-san," Kimiko told the elder
Tendou, bowing low. "To meet one of the masters of the Anything-Goes
School of martial arts is a great honor."

The old man smiled, and bowed to her. "It was a pleasure meeting
you, Nishiyama-san. If you ever need a place for instruction, you're
welcome here." They turned to leave, but Soun put his hand on his
Kenichi's shoulder. "I need to talk to my grandson for one second."

"I'll meet you out in the front, Kimiko," he told her. She nodded
and left.

"What is it, Grandfather?"

"Did she mention who her parents were?" he inquired seriously.
"This is very important."

Seeing his grandfather so serious startled Kenichi, since it was
totally unlike his usual behavior. The old man usually wore his
emotions on his sleeve, allowing all around to know his current state.
Right now, his eyes were filled with determination and he wore a poker
face that rivaled his Uncle Genma's.

Kenichi soberly shook his head, raising an eyebrow at his
Grandfather's question. "I don't think so. Is there a problem?"

"No, no," the Tendou patriarch denied, shaking his head. "I was
just curious. She looked familiar, and I thought I might know them."

As Kenichi was about to ask him why he had been so serious, the
old man threw him off when his expression shifted, forming into a sly
grin. "Well, at least you have your grandfather's taste in women, son.
She's beautiful."

Bashfully turning away, Kenichi's face turned a bright shade of
red, and quickly exited the house. Holding his arms against the cold
night, he rubbed them briskly. Walking across the stone courtyard,
Kenichi found the gates opened.

"Sorry about that," Kenichi apologized as he met Kimiko outside.

The illumination from the electric lamp across the street lit her
face eerily, distorting her features as it flickered, slowly dying.
When she lifted her hands from the back of her head, her long red hair
swayed loose from its braid, spilling over her back and shoulders. The
bottom of her red skirt ruffled slightly against her knees, and its
dirty hem seemed to have seen better days, for a few loose strings
hung from it.

"No problem," she said, leaning up against the wall. "It's too bad
there are so many lights around here."

"How's that?" he asked, going up next to her and doing likewise.

"Can't see the stars," she whispered. "The sky is so beautiful at
night." He looked up at the dark, empty night's sky. "I used to spend
so much time under them that I sort of took'em for granted. They were
always there for me."

"I know what you mean," Ken said, looking at her, her features
hypnotizing him. "Whenever my family goes camping, I always sleep
outside the tents, under the stars."

"I almost can't wait," she whispered back.

"Wait for what?"

"Remember how I told you I was leaving for China in a week?" He
nodded to her question. "Well, my brother and I are going to travel
the countryside. You can see millions of stars there with no stupid
lights to wash them out."

"Why almost?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Why can you almost not wait?" he clarified.

She looked at him, her face expressionless. "Mainly because of
you."

His heart skipped a beat. Could she be feeling the same for him?
"M-me?" he stuttered, hoping against hope.

"Well, you and Mayako. You guys are really cool, and I'd really
like to get to know you, even though there's not much time.

"Oh," he sighed, turning back to the sky. "I think you're cool,
too and I'll be sad to see you go." He would be sadder than she could
ever know.

"Really?" she questioned, her breath on his shoulder, shooting a
tremble down his spine. "You're not just saying that to make me feel
better?"

"Of course, I'm not. I mean it," he told her. "I know we just met
and all, but I feel like I already know you well." There, he got it
off his chest, somewhat. Though he made it sound much less intimate
than the feeling really was, he at least told her.

"Me too," she whispered to him, shivering a little bit. "I hope
this taxi arrives soon."

I don't, Ken thought to himself. He was enjoying his time with
her. He looked over at her, her teeth chattering and arms clenched
together for warmth.

"You cold?"

"N-no, of course n-not!" she denied, sounding silly as her teeth
began to chatter even more. "Are you?"

"Kind of," he whispered. Gritting his teeth, he pulled his guts
together and reached around her, placing his arm on her shoulder.
Wondering how she would respond, his heart fluttered nervously.



Readily comfortable with his friendship, Kimiko allowed Kenichi to
drape his arm over her shoulders. Regardless of his gender and her
usual attitude towards overly friendly males, she had actually been
much closer with Sally, and she instinctively knew that she could
trust him like she had with Sally.

The warmth his arm provided cascaded down her body, but she still
rubbed her chilled, exposed arms. Warm puffs of steam spurted from her
mouth as she exhaled, evaporating in the frosty air. Still on the
verge of freezing, she wrapped her left arm around his waist, basking
in his warmth.

"I'll make sure to bring a jacket next time," she said to herself.
"Thanks for waiting with me. It's taking longer than ten minutes."

"Don't mention it," he whispered. "No need for you to wait alone
and freeze yourself to death." He laughed nervously, placing his free
hand behind his head, and she giggled lightly. "When will you be back
from China?"

"Who knows," she replied, shrugging. "A month or two, more or
less."

"What are your plans for afterward?"

Her mind elsewhere, she said, "I'm not sure." Something about him
made her feel completely at ease, much like Kiyoshi and Amanda. Her
eyes slowly slid shut with sleep threatening her consciousness. It had
been a long day with the draining plane trip, the long run from the
airport to Ucchan's and not to mention all of the emotional stress she
had been under.

Opening her eyes, she looked up at to his face and smiled. He
looked so much like Akane. A few tears began to well up in her eyes
and she took in a deep, shaky breath. He was Akane's height, build and
pretty much had her hairstyle, though it was slightly shorter. God,
how she missed simply just holding Akane.

"It's not fair," she whispered softly to herself, but apparently
not quiet enough.

"What's not fair?" he asked, turning to face her. "What's the
matter?"

Mentally cursing at herself for letting her emotions slip yet
again, she dried her damn face with her hand. "Nothing," she replied
quickly. "The cold air is bothering my eyes; that's all." She turned
her head away, not wanting him to see a few more tears streak down her
face. Silently gritting her teeth, she wiped her face again, barely
able to hold back sobs.

"Oh," he whispered. "I'm sure everything will turn out all right,
Kimiko."

Pausing for a moment, she turned to him again. "I hope so."
Hearing the sounds of a car approaching, Kimiko looked over her
shoulder. "That's my ride."

The red taxi cab pulled up in front of them and stopped.

"You take care of yourself, Kenichi Tendou," she whispered.
He walked over to the door, opening it for her. "You too." She
smiled, squeezing his shoulder as she walked past him and sat in the
cab.

"Later," she said, as he closed the door for her. They waved to
each other as the car departed, leaving behind Kenichi, the Tendou
residence, her past and future, just for a single night without
worries.



He sighed, letting out a deep breath. He opened the gate and
walked silently toward the house, pausing at the front door. He put
his hand on his shoulder, still damp from her tears. She was so
emotionally torn, and so vulnerable. He wondered what could have done
this to her.

"Good evening, honey!" he heard someone yell out from behind him.
He turned around and faced his mother, his little brother grinning
happily on her shoulders as they approached him. She was dressed in an
informal kimono, and her long, black hair was pulled into a ponytail
ending half-way down her back.

"Hi, Mom," he greeted, smiling.

"Sorry I got back so late," she apologized. "There was so much to
do at the Saotome's! Did you pick up your sister?"

"Of course, Mom." He wondered if he should tell her about Kimiko.

Deciding to tell her later, he took his little brother, Eiji, from her
shoulders, putting his feet down on the floor. "How's it going, little
brother?"

"Rintaro taught me and Shintaro some cool martial art moves!" he
exclaimed, his voice full of vigor. "I bet I can beat you up now,
Kenichi!"

"It can wait for tomorrow, Eiji-chan," Akane Tendou told her
youngest child. "It's time for bed." She opened the front door
allowing him to run through. She then turned to Ken. "How was your
day, love?"

"Great," he replied. "I'll tell you about it later."

><><><><><><><&g t;<><><><><><><><><>& lt;><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><


With the scene set, the first die cast, and the day over, I conclude
the prelude of this tale. I wrote this in August of 1998, and have
added and subtracted sections of the text since then. This is the
second version of the prelude, and there will inevitably be others.
By the time you read this, I have finished writing the second part of
Misery Loves Company. You can find them on my homepage, which is
listed below. I urge you to read the prequels to this story, if you
have not read them. Until then, farewell.

Ryan Erik
ICQ: 2561463
ryanerik@tendodojo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ryanerik99